


Exhausted

by aidensgyver



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Care, Codex - Freeform, Oddities, Other, Vacation, break - Freeform, code, exhuasted, sick, tired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:21:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26779516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aidensgyver/pseuds/aidensgyver
Summary: Riley is Sick. Mac figures out why.
Relationships: BozerLeanna, Macriley - Relationship, Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), RussDesi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 111





	Exhausted

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies to everyone who waited for so long for this! I don’t know why but his one took me particularly longer than usual. Please enjoy!

It had been going on for the past 5 days. The first night she had been blowing her nose time and time again. The king size box of tissues decreased more than it should have in one night. Riley did not look good at all in the morning, not having anything besides coffee for breakfast. Her eyes looked as tired as Mac had ever seen. She had done too sloppy of a job with her makeup for anyone to not notice. The mission was not too intense, but it did require a lot of keyboard work for the hacker.

When she typed in the wrong code, and Mac knew that that was the same code she jotted down every day, he knew something was not right. Dozing off in the war room not once, but twice in the same day was another strange development. One that had Matty giving Mac glares of fire, as if to say, “What have you been doing to her?”. Mac had just shrugged back, having no idea what to reply.

The strangest of all, she actually turned down game night and went straight to bed! That was the first time that had happened, and Jack was not at all pleased, also giving Mac a wide array of looks.

That same night, Riley pulled the blanket up to her chin and snuggled in as close to Mac as possible, her forehead against his chest. Not that snuggling was the thing, she either slept close to Mac or stuffed herself under the blanket, never both at the same time.

Her teeth chattering woke him up at 2AM, and her forehead against his chest gave everything away. Her temperature was soaring. Alarmed, Mac slowly re-positioned her arm, which lay over his torso, and placed it by her side, allowing him to sit up without disturbing her.

Her breathing sounded distorted, her stuffy nose definitely the reason behind that. She groaned softly, her voice sounding peculiarly raspy, which Mac deduced to be a dry throat or something of the sort. Lifting the blanket slightly, he checked to see her clothing, deciding whether or not that could be affecting the temperature.

She usually wore a tank top and shorts, no matter what the weather was. However, this time she wore a loose-fitting sweater and complete leggings. Mac got out of the bed, slowly, and retrieving a towel from the closet made his way to the bathroom. He soaked the towel in lukewarm water, racking his mind behind, what seemed to be, Riley’s flu.

Their last overseas mission had been two weeks ago, and a bug would have had its affect much sooner. Flicking on a lamp and turning it against the wall, making sure the glare of the light did not shine on Riley’s face.

He folded the cloth and gently placed it on Riley’s forehead. Her bright eyes flickered open instantly, and it looked like she had just seen one hell of a nightmare. She grabbed Mac’s forearm tightly and turned to face him, “Mac?”.

Mac placed his other hand on her wrist and pressed it gently, “It’s okay, Riles, I’m here”.

She groaned, her voice course with what sounded like pain, and repositioned herself, reclining on the upholstered backboard. Her breathing was raspy, which Mac guessed was due to the buildup of phlegm in her chest. That called for lubricants. Hydration.

Knowing he had to try to bring down that temperature a bit, he swapped the thick blanket with a thinner comforter. Riley coughed again, and her whole body convulsed with the force.

Liquids. She needed to be hydrated. He quickly made his way to the kitchen and swung open the refrigerator. Riley had picked up the groceries this week…had she picked up something from that? Deciding it was unlikely, he pulled a fresh lemon from the bottom compartment and fished out a bottle of water from the pack beside the door.

He emptied it into the electric kettle and flipped the switch, before slicing the lemon. As he squeezed the juice into a bowl, he recalled one of the few oddities he had noticed from Riley this week.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

_ Mac flickered his eyes, before jerking upright in his chair. The atmosphere of the lab was chilly, and the place was completely empty. His laptop remained open infront of him, the running lines of his finished report staring back at him. Across the lab on the other table sat Jack’s laptop, the lid closed, chair empty. Either Jack had not finished his report or had been so tired he had forgotten his laptop all together. _

_ The red digital numbers on the lab’s centre display read 2:04 AM. Damn. _

_ The last time he’d dozed off the time had barely been quarter past eleven. Quickly uploading his report to the Phoenix database and stuffing his laptop in its bag, Mac rose from his chair. _

_ The mission had been a long and tiring one, and all Mac really wished for now was to lay in bed and sleep till 10AM the next day. And sleeping in was never really his thing either. _

_ As he was about to leave the lab, the thought struck his mind. Riley. He had been so dazed by his sleep he had completely forgotten about her. Assuming she had probably knocked out in the war room waiting for him, he shut the lab down and locked it with the swipe of his access card. _

_ The scene that greeted his eyes when he entered the war room did not at all meet his expectations. Two (empty) cups of coffee sat on the table, a pile of mission reports laid out in a fashion which contradicted neat to its full. Riley’s laptop sat open, a low battery warning flashing on the screen, with her bag on the floor beneath the table, the wires clearly showing she had had a struggle untangling them. _

_ What surprised Mac the most though wasn’t the busy workspace, it was Riley herself. She stood infront of the wall of screens, which displayed several windows of geographical maps and lines of random code. Riley stood in front, her hair in a messier than usual brunette, a pair of headphones squished on top. She tapped quickly on the tablet that sat in her hands, a loud click coming from her mouth in frustration. _

_ Mac slowly walked in and set his bag on the one empty sofa, and slowly walked up behind Riley. The headphones must have been blasting, because she never noticed until Mac leaned forward and rested his chin gently on her shoulder, “Riles?”. _

_ She shuddered slightly, his sudden presence catching her off guard. She pulled the pair of headphones down and settled it on her neck, “Please do not do that again!” She reprimanded. _

_ “It’s 2:06” He replied innocently. She gave him a smile, one that was way too weak for her normal grin. _

_ “You should head home, get some sleep” She said softly as her fingers continued to swipe across the screen. _

_ Mac went over and stood in front of her, cupping both her cheeks in his hands, “We came in the same car, Riles”. _

_ She looked up at him, before reaching up and kissing him on the cheek, “I know, I meant go start the car, I’ll be out if five”. _

_ Giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head, Mac collected his backpack and headed out towards the parking lot. _——————————————- 

Lemon water had the chance of hydrating a person quicker than normal water, it could also detox a person’s body. All the science behind detoxification spun around in Mac’s mind as he carried the tall glass of warm lemon water to room.

Riley had propped herself up slightly higher, the phlegm in her chest definitely bothering her breathing. She coughed violently as Mac entered, but her eyes remained closed. Mac was furious at himself for not taking notice she was sick earlier; he could have at least given her some of his “natural” remedies.

He slowly lowered his hand behind her neck and whispered into her ear, coaxing her to sit up slightly in order to drink the water. She raised her neck, barely, then lifted a shaky hand for the glass.

Realizing her hand was in no shape to hold the tall (and warm) glass filled to the rim, Mac held it himself and allowed her to drink. Her gulps were long and steady, and when the glass was empty, she turned around to suck in a dry breath.

Collapsing back on the mountain of pillows behind her, Riley closed her eyes and placed a forearm over her forehead. Mac placed a hand on her neck; the temperature didn’t seem to have gone down in the least.

Fearing the temperature might end up rising if he didn’t control it now, he swung open the cabinet beside the bed. Neither Riley nor he kept a lot of medicine, besides Riley’s ibuprofen pills the cabinet was bare. Shaking the bottle to check if it was empty or not, he twisted the cap off and peered inside.

He dreaded waking Riley up again, but he knew she had to take something to try and bring down that fever. Once she had taken a pill and downed another glass of warm water, Riley turned on her side and pulled the blanket over her head. Deciding all he could do now was wait, Mac went over to the living room and sat on the couch. His pile of reading material sat on the small table, waiting to be read.

Laying down over the length of the couch, he picked the thickest book of the pile and turned to his bookmark. As he slowly transitioned into the world of celestial navigation and astronomy, he recalled another weird incident he had noticed about Riley.

\------------

_ Time was running out. The files had to be extracted within the next five minutes or the entire computer would be wiped, courtesy of a virus. “Riley, I think it’s time for you to do your thing” Said Russ as he hastily slid out of the leather chair in front of the monitor. _

_ Riley sat down after him and positioned her hands over the keyboard, examining the lines of code on the screen. Not only were the files at stake, but so were their lives. The files contained the master code for two massive heating apparatuses. If the code were destroyed, the heaters (which in turn belonged to a hydraulic pump) would malfunction resulting in an explosion which would end all human life in contact with. _

_ After a few seconds of studying the code, Riley typed out a short line of code and hit Enter. A red text box popped up, flashing wildly. Grunting, Riley typed in another combination, only to get the same result. _

_ Riley seldom messed up with her codes, and when she did it didn’t take her long to figure out the mistake. Mac watched her closely as she re-examined the code before typing in another line. Same result. _

_ Russ leaned in, “It must be a trap, maybe a loophole or something” He said as he reached for the keyboard. Riley abruptly pushed his hands away, surprising everyone. She usually kept her cool in moments like this, but this time she seemed particularly ticked off. _

_ Riley paused for a moment, before looking back at the screen, numbers on the clock ticking down. “I got this” She told Russ before typing in another combination. No luck. Swinging off her bag, she started rummaging through it while muttering something about her decryption key. Pulling out the small USB she jammed it into the monitor and let it do the work automatically. _

_ The rest of the team, including Mac, stayed back as they watched the code slowly get cleaned up by the key. Riley rubbed her forehead vigorously as the clock continued to tick down. _

_ “There’s not enough time” Muttered Desi as she turned 360 looking for the closest way out. _

_ “Well, even if we make a dash it doesn’t make a difference, we’ll still die” Replied Russ, holding his breath as the time continued to expire. _

_ Finally, with 7 seconds remaining, the screen displaying the virus code finally dropped. Riley let out a huge sigh and dropped her head in her hands, “Oh God” She whispered over and over again. _

_ The rest of the team, including Matty back at the Phoenix let out a collective breath of relief and Bozer even dropped to his knees. _

_ Mac went over and put his hand on Riley’s shoulder, “You did it”. _

_ Riley lifted her head but didn’t turn to look at Mac or flash a smile. She pulled the decryption key out of the console and rose from the chair. No one on the team seemed to notice, the relief quite overwhelming, but Mac swore she seemed to be off somewhat. Something wasn’t right. _

_ It was 4 hours later, on the jet flying back to LA when he had a hunch something was definitely up. Usually after a mission this intense, they’d all be knocked out 5 minutes into the flight. Russ and Desi shared two chairs opposite each other. Bozer and Leanna were cuddled up together (as usual) on a single chair. _

_ Mac was drifting in between his dreams and his playlist, Riley seated opposite him, her laptop on balanced on her lap. As the time went by, he observed her closely. Eyes definitely not as bright as usual and a more furrowed than usual brow all indicated lack of sleep. _

_ Mac pulled out his headphones, earning a glance from Riley. Giving her a goofy smile, he leaned forward, “You should get some sleep” He said softly. _

_ She smiled, just a little but it was a smile nonetheless, “Nah, I need to go through this code again”. _

_ “That was just a glitch with the computer right?” Asked Mac, referring to her being unable to override the virus. _

_ “I think I just forgot the actual line for a second there…need to go over it again” She replied, looking back at her screen. _

_ Mac, sensing he wasn’t getting anywhere with this and deciding not to push anymore, leaned back. If something were up, Riley would tell him. “Just make sure you take a break” He said before plugging in his earphones back in. _

_ Riley gave him a bigger smile this time, “Will do”. _

_ \----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _

Mac set down his book. He grabbed his phone from beside the bed and checked the time display. 7:47. Slowly rising from the couch, he rubbed his neck in an attempt to erase the dull ache. The couch was no place for someone his size to spend the night in, and he instantly regretted doing so.

The night had been a long one. He had heard Riley get up in the middle of the night and found her puking in the bathroom. He was surprised she still had anything in her stomach to throw up, considering how little she had been in eating. Hydration was important, and he had made sure she got enough water.

She also seemed to be having nightmares, the way she gave him that fiery look when she woke up. That, plus the fact he could have sworn he heard her shout in the middle of the night.

Mac had never seen her like this before, and it left his heart at rock bottom. Jack had left a text asking how she was, Mac replied saying it was all good. A total lie.

As he made his way inside the room, the blonde felt his phone buzz. Glancing down at the caller ID, he froze. Matty.

He knew that Riley being sick wouldn’t be an excuse for him to stay behind on a mission. If anyone were gonna stay back with Riley, it’d probably be Leanna or Bozer.

Reluctantly pressing accept he put the phone to his ear, “Matty”.

“Blondie, how’s Riley?”. Matty sounded more demanding than usual, so Mac knew it had to be an assignment of some sort.

“Not good, like not good at all…puking whole night, fever, cough, everything” He replied, sounding as blunt as possible.

“Did she take anything?” Questioned Matty further.

“I gave her a couple of ibuprofen tablets, well that and a lot of water, hydrations really key”.

“Mac, have you noticed her acting a little…off lately?” Asked Matty. Mac raised his eyebrow, his boss sounded concerned.

“Well, besides the fact that she has seemed to be pretty much burnt out from work I haven’t noticed anything too strange…why’d you ask?”.

Matty took a deep breath over the phone, “Do you know what a C.A.R number is?”.

Mac frowned and thought a little before replying, “I’ve come across it a couple of times in a few reports, cyber attacks resolved, I think?”.

“Each technician has an average amount of cyber attacks they’ve resolved per month” Said Matty, sounding more concerned with every word that came out of her mouth, “Riley’s average since she started has been 19, 7 more than the second best tech”.

“Okay…so where does this come into what’s going on right now?” Queried Mac, totally curious why Matty was saying all this.

“Last month” Replied Matty, then her voice dropping into a grave whisper, “Her average was 43”.

“What…..” Mac’s voice trailed off in shock, he knew Riley was burning her energy more than usual, but not this much.

Matty, not acknowledging Mac’s silence, continued, “This can have serious mental consequences on any agent, even one as good as Riley”.

Mac held his breath, this didn’t sound too good, “Matty, she hasn’t told me anything so it can’t be that serious, she didn’t even say anything to Jack…maybe it’s just a phase or something”.

“Mac, I know you’re worried, but Riley needs time off, since the CODEX problem she, nor you, have gotten a break. Jack took time off after the Kovacs, Bozer and Leanna went on vacation, Russ and Desi were in Malaysia. But not you two” Spoke Matty, leaving no chance for Mac to say anything.

“For that reason, I’m laying both of you off for one month, effective today” She finally completed.

Mac leaned back against the wall and heaved out a sigh, “And who’s gonna take our places on the team, you know it’ll be hard for the Phoenix without us”.

Mac was right. He and Riley were the backbones of the agency, and them leaving would double the load on every agent.

“That’s why we’re here” Said Matty reassuringly, “If you guys need a break, I’ll increase the workload on others, no big deal”.

“Thanks, Matty, I think I need a breather as well”.

“Russ will forward you two your pays for a getaway or something, just make sure you take care of Riley, okay?”.

Mac smiled and promised he’d do his best. After discussing further details he hung up and entered the room. Riley was still fast asleep. She tended to shift a lot in her sleep and now took up pretty much the entire bed.

Walking over to the side, Mac leaned in and pressed his lips to Riley’s forehead. It was cool. The fever had finally broken. It had soared during the night, and the fact that it made her somewhat unresponsive nearly made him panic.

He pulled the blanket over her, tucking it under her chin. Making his way back to the living room, he rubbed his eyes trying to make sense of all that was going on. Riley’s slow health decline, the layoff, everything had just happened sow fast.

Having been so preoccupied with work, Mac hadn’t realized that he hadn’t caught a break at all since the whole CODEX “thing”. What’s more is that he hadn’t even noticed the toll it had taken on Riley. Yes, he had lost his family, had been burdened by presenting his mom’s research plus taking care of the Phoenix in Russ’s absence.

But Riley had been there all the time, right next to him. When he went rogue she risked her life to be with him. When he had to present his mom’s research she helped him type out and codify everything. She literally handled the exact same workload as him in Russ’s absence. And on top of that, the day to day missions had been a bundle.

Really the only relief either of them had got was the fact they had started a proper relationship. It was the one thing that came them some sort of comfort and relaxation was being together at the end the day.

Matty had told him that Russ would provide both of them with “funding” for a getaway. As he contemplated what would be a good place to go, he heard the bedroom door creak. Riley came walking through the hall, her legs clearly shaking. If he hadn’t gotten up and supported her with a strong arm there was no way she’d made it to the sofa.

Mac seated himself, stretched his legs and pulled Riley over onto his chest. She gladly accepted the offer and cuddled up against him, her hair beneath his chin. “How’re you feeling?” He asked quietly.

Riley let out a long cough in reply, and Mac reached out for the bottle of water sitting on the coffee table. He sat her up and watched as she slowly drank the liquid, grimacing as it slid down her throat.

“Terrible” Finally came her response, and she looked at Mac. It was only then did he see and realize how tired she looked. Her eyes, which were usually as wide and as bright as the sun, now seemed droopy and in need of rest. Her brow was furrowed, even though she wasn’t visibly frustrated over anything.

Mac put his arm around her and pulled her against him, rocking gently while soothingly rubbing her back, “If you need to talk, I’m here” He said.

Riley sighed and looked up at him with a weak grin, “I’m just tired”.

“Matty gave us a two month leave, told me we should have a little getaway” Said Mac, surprising himself at how fast he’d just said that.

Riley froze before sitting up slowly, “But…but I need to check the cyber log, if I don’t..” She stammered before Mac leaned forward and grabbed her hand tightly.

“Riles, that’s why there’re other agents” He said, slowly lifting his other hand to brush a curly lock out of her face, “We can’t have the foundation rely on me and you all the time, we-you-need some time off”.

Riley opened her mouth to say something but swallowed it almost immediately. She took a moment to process the information before slowly laying herself back on Mac’s shoulder.

“It’s just too much” She whispered quietly. Mac hugged her tightly, “That’s why you need time off, Riley, how bout we go somewhere peaceful, just me and you” He said, “We can take a break from the whole world”.

“Like where?” Came the soft response.

“You always said you wanted to see the aurora borealis”.

Riley turned and looked at Mac, a bright grin gracing her face, “Yellowknife, Canada?”.

Mac smiled back at her, “Where else?”.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please read my other fics as well and if ur on Twitter follow me @AidenMjx!


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